WE WILL NOT STAND BY AS THE RAILS RISE INFRASTRUCTURE, WOMEN’S AGENCY, AND DIVERSE EXPERIENCES IN TANZANIA

Abstract

Infrastructure megaprojects are widely framed as
engines of modernization, yet their gendered effects
remain insufficiently understood, particularly in
pastoralist contexts. Focusing on Tanzania’s Standard
Gauge Railway (SGR), this article examines how
large-scale infrastructure reshapes women’s agency
through differentiated access to emerging economic
spaces. Anchored in indigenous storytelling (Ilomon) as
a central methodological approach, and complemented
by interviews, participant observation, and documentary
analysis, the study draws on the narratives of three
Maasai women to illustrate contrasting pathways of
engagement. While some women expanded market
participation, income generation, and decision-making
roles, others remained constrained by limited access to land, capital, and institutional support. Guided by
Kabeer’s framework, agency is conceptualised as a
relational and context-dependent process shaped
through the interaction of resources, opportunities, and
enabling conditions. The findings show that
infrastructure does not generate uniform outcomes but
reconfigures access in ways that reflect existing social
and institutional dynamics. Strengthening inclusive and
gender-responsive approaches is therefore critical to
ensuring that megaprojects contribute to more equitable
and sustainable development.